the glass factory.           
                                        
                                        
                                      
                                  
                                  
                                          
 several  centuries  after  it  had  last 
 belonged to us, we went on an outing  to 
 the  glass factory that bore our  family 
 name.  it had changed  owners many times 
 since  our  ancestors  death,  and  then 
 stood  abandoned  for   a   long  while. 
 finally,  the natural  end  station  for 
 the buildings that  survive:  a  museum, 
 and a gift shop.                         
                                          
 there's a  long  time  since  my  family 
 made  anything.  by  many,  we would  be 
 considered poor.                         
                                          
 there  are  two  main factory buildings, 
 domed things  of several floors, made in 
 yellow brick. large but narrow  windows, 
 reminescent    of     some    cathedral. 
 custom-made glass,  of course, large and 
 leaded, and ashen. a  bit too dark to be 
 practical.   on  the  eastern  building, 
 some are shattered.                      
                                          
 the other  one is publicly open. there's 
 a  museum, with wax figures of  my great 
 great great  grandfather, or  something. 
 various tools (or replicas) laid out  on 
 tables, with explaining texts. a lot  of 
 glass      of     varying     thickness. 
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 i  quickly sneak out, and climb into the 
 other   building.    the   contrast   is 
 overwhelming.   it   must   have   stood 
 derelict  for   a  long  time,   windows 
 broken,  metallic  trash  and  pools  of 
 dark   glass  all  over  the  floor.  no 
 electric  lights,  but i  can see by the 
 light that shines  in wherever  the dark 
 windows     are    missing    a    pane. 
                                          
 however, the greatest  difference is the 
 higher  floors: this  building has none. 
 it is one massive  hall, stretching away 
 infinitely above  me. somewhere up there 
 is  some great  iron  latticework,  from 
 where chains  are suspended,  and  parts 
 of  machinery  has  been  falling  down. 
                                          
 there is,  in  the  middle  of the great 
 hall,  a   thin  spiral  staircase  that 
 leads up there. i sneak over there,  and 
 take a few reluctant  steps. after  just 
 a revolution,  i  notice that  for  each 
 step the  building starts  to  glow, the 
 bricks  turning a  dark  red,  and  then 
 orange,  all the piled  up debree  being 
 lit from behind.                         
                                          
 i stop  ready to  run  down and out, but 
 there's  someone  else  on the staircase 
 with  me   now,  pressed   close.   he's 
 looking  like me,  short  hair and  thin 
 arms, but with  ears  from  some animal, 
 and  more disturbingly,  completely made 
 of dark liquid glass.                    
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 my  fear  holds  me in  place  while  he 
 starts  operating  levers  and dials set 
 in the center of the staircase.  slowly, 
 it  starts  spinning,  circling upwards. 
 it's  an   elevator!  i   start  to  run 
 downwards,   but  now  the   liquid  boy 
 creature  grabs  hold of me.  i  try  to 
 shake him off, but  he's too strong, and 
 pulls   me    back   up    beside   him. 
                                          
 this time,  i turn  angry instead.  what 
 the  hell? who is this guy, acting  like 
 this? i reach out my free arm  and  slam 
 a  random   lever.  some  metal  bar  is 
 suddenly released  between  us,  hitting 
 him on  the arm, forcing  my  release. i 
 shove him  off of me, and he falls  into 
 the    levers,    messing    them    up. 
 immediately,  a  thin   rusty  chainmail 
 curtain is  dropped  around me.  but the 
 elevator also  speeds up  significantly. 
                                          
 the  walls  are  flaring   now,  yellow, 
 white, almost blue. i close my eyes  and 
 curl into a ball.  but then,  the  glass 
 boy  screams,  a  piercing   sound  that 
 forces my eyes back open. i watch  as he 
 becomes  too  liquid,  his  body pooling 
 down  in  his  now massive tail, and the 
 tip of it suddenly breaks of  in a glass 
 drop  that  falls  toward  the   factory 
 floor.                                   
                                          
 he's  crawling  on the stairs, unable to 
 keep  his body  upright. can't reach the 
 levers,  claws  at  my  chainmail  cage, 
 while  his body  is  turning  into  dark 
 pearls. finally, he's  lost  too much of 
 himself  and the scream  is  cut  short. 
 the   last    of    him   rains    down. 
                                          
 i  still  can't  reach the  levers  from 
 within  my cage. looking  up,  i try  to 
 make  out  the  ceiling,  but it's all a 
 whirling sea  of colours. below me glows 
 the hellfire of the factory  walls,  but 
 very faint. i  sit down,  curl  back up, 
 become still.                            
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 a  large  clunk  shakes my entire  body, 
 and snaps  me  back  into  reality.  i'm 
 back  at  the  factory  floor,  but  the 
 stairs  are   still   moving   slightly, 
 clicking in place,  carrying me the last 
 few  centimeters.  i  came  from  below, 
 somehow.  the  chainmail  is  retracted, 
 and  i   slowly  dismount  the   stairs. 
                                          
 shaking  and crying, i make  my way over 
 the factory  floor,  wading through dark 
 glass marbles. a  quick glance down, and 
 i  see there's  something  faint  inside 
 them.   embryos?   are    these    eggs? 
                                          
 i   shudder,   and   climb   back   out.